Jay-Z's 40/40 Club Sued for Playing Music Without Paying Royalties

Jay-Z's 40/40 club was hit with a federal lawsuit from Broadcast Music Inc. for allegedly playing music without paying royalties.

Jay-Z's New York nightclub 40/40 is hit with a federal lawsuit over allegation of breaking music licensing laws.

Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) filed a lawsuit on behalf of such famous musicians, as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Kanye West, claiming 40/40 club played songs without proper licensing.

Jackson's songs "Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop," R. Kelly's "Thoia Thoing" and Kanye West's "Gold Digger" were amongst the seven unlicensed songs played during a surprise visit by a BMI researcher in 2006, The New York Post reported.

Broadcast Music Inc. thus seeking unspecified damages for copyright infringement from co-owners Desiree Gonzalez and Juan Perez. Jay-Z, in fact, is not named on the lawsuit.